People love secrets
by theemutsje
Summary: 'Want to hear a secret? Of course you do, people love secrets. You won't tell, right, Malfoy? After all, a secret is meant to stay hidden.' / Warning: anorexia, bulimia, character death!


**Disclaimer**: I'm just playing with Jo's characters

**Warning**: Anorexia, bulimia and character death

**Author's note**: It's a bit dark, I guess, but I like it. I have a certain fondness for stories like these. Now, on with the show and I'd love to hear your thoughts afterwards!

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**People love secrets **

Scorpius Malfoy loves being out after curfew. The thrill of knowing that you're breaking the rules, knowing that you can get caught any minute. Loads of professors have caught Scorpius out after curfew over the years, but he still wanders the hallways at night. Most of his late night wanderings lead to nowhere, like today's.

Scorpius is on his way to the south wing, because he feels like it, when he hears somebody cry. He listens for a moment and decides it comes from the bathroom on his left. Curiously, and maybe he is a little bit concerned, he opens the door and looks inside. On the ground sits a small girl – it's definitely a girl – with short messy red hair, sobbing. 'Hey, are you alright?' Stupid question, but Scorpius has said it before he even realized he was talking.

The girl looks around, her pale face wet from her tears, and Scorpius sees it's the youngest Potter. She looks at him, expressionless.

'Is there, eh, is there anything I can do? Get your brothers, maybe?' Scorpius asks, a little bit nervous under her staring gaze.

She wipes her tears away. 'I keep a lot of people's secrets, Malfoy, but I've never told any myself. Want to hear a secret?' She smiles for a moment, but it isn't a nice smile. 'Of course you do, people love secrets. My best friend's name is Ana. She doesn't talk, in fact, she isn't even real. But at the same time she is. She is always with me, whispering into my ear. Sometimes her name changes to Mia, but at the end of the day she'll always be Ana.'

Scorpius has no idea what Potter is talking about and just stares at her. Scorpius watches her get up and walk towards him, and finds himself thinking about how frail she looks. Small.

The girl smiles sardonically, a smile that Scorpius has never seen on the Slytherins face. 'You won't tell, right, Malfoy? After all, a secret is meant to stay hidden', and she walks past him, into the night, leaving him stunned.

The next day Lily Potter is sitting in her usual spot at the Slytherin Table, surrounded by her friends. She looks normal. A social butterfly that is happy with her position. Nothing like the fragile girl he found on the floor of a bathroom, crying.

'Scorpius, why are you staring at the Slytherin Table?'

'Nothing, just looking', he tells his best friend casual and looks away. 'How's the girlfriend?' he asks, while he ponders over the mystery of Ana and Mia. Who are they?

Two weeks later, while Scorpius is out after curfew, he is still pondering over the mystery of Ana and Mia. His feet bring him back to the bathroom where he found Potter, and he opens the door. He didn't suspect to find Potter there – the last few times he checked the bathroom it had been empty – but this time she's there.

'Hey, Malfoy', she greets him. She's sitting against a wall, facing the door. She's not crying this time.

Scorpius just looks at her for a moment, but then he has to ask. 'Who are Ana and Mia?'

She laughs, but it's a sharp sort of laugh without any humour in it. 'Is the Ravenclaw irritated by the fact that he can't work out a mystery?'

Scorpius doesn't say a thing, but just looks at her. He tries to work out how this girl is the same he saw at dinner, but he can't. 'Why tell me something that you know I wouldn't understand?' he asks her eventually.

Potter lets her head fall against the wall and closes her eyes. 'I wanted to know how it felt to tell a secret, but that doesn't mean that I need to tell you something that you would understand.' Her face is empty, like she just doesn't give a care in the world.

'Then why are you here, knowing that I could come back?'

She smiles again, that ugly smile that corrupts her whole face. 'I'll tell you another secret, Malfoy.' Potter opens her eyes and looks at him, like she wants to see how Scorpius will react. 'I hate Ana with my guts and she knows that. She's okay with that, because she knows that no matter what, I'll always need her. I can't exist without her, I don't want to exist without her.'

'I don't understand', Scorpius says, confusion written all over his face.

Potter gets up and walks out of the bathroom. Scorpius turns around and watches her go. Scorpius wants to follow her, wants to ask her what she means, but doesn't. Instead he ponders over it. Goes over and over it again and again, but no matter how many times he repeats her words in his head, he doesn't understand. It's the first thing that he thinks about when he gets up and the last thing that's on his mind when he goes to sleep.

Scorpius has almost given up the hope to catch Potter out after curfew, when he does. She is sitting in the exact same position he found her the last time. She smiles that sarcastic smile when she sees him in the doorway. 'Back for another secret, Malfoy?'

'No, I don't want to hear another secret', he answers. 'I want to hear the truth.'

'Of course you are back for another secret, otherwise you wouldn't be standing here. Like I already said, people love secrets.' She stretches her legs and looks at her toes for a moment. Only then Scorpius notices the shoes that are lying next to her. 'When I first met Ana she promised me the world. Now I know that that was a lie; she is taking it away from me, bit by bit. The worst part is that I let her. In a way I'm glad that she does it. I want her to do it.'

She puts on her shoes and gets up, but when she wants to walk past Scorpius he stops her. 'What is the meaning of this? Are you playing with me? Why are you telling me this?'

She smiles, but this time it's a different sort of smile. It's a sad smile. She looks so very tired from up close. 'You'll understand soon enough, Malfoy. It's almost over', and Scorpius has no other choice than letting her go.

Four days later she isn't in the Great Hall during lunch, neither are her brothers. The rest of her family looks upset, like there is something wrong. The next day her brothers are back, but she isn't. Rumours spread, but her family members keep their mouth shut. Two days later her brothers have disappeared again. The next day it's all over the news. "_HARRY POTTER'S ONLY DAUGHTER KILLED BY UNKNOWN DISEASE_"

The Hogwarts students are shocked. Stunned. They don't know how they have go on without her, but time goes on and people move on. People forget. But Scorpius doesn't.

It's nearly four months after Lily Potter's dead and Scorpius still isn't any step closer to figuring out who Ana and Mia are. He has spent countless of nights sitting in the bathroom where she told him her secrets, hearing her voice whisper into his ear.

Scorpius watches the shy second year disappear behind the portrait. A few minutes later the portrait swings back open and James and Albus Potter and Rose Weasley come out. They all look wary at him, probably because of his surname.

'Who are Ana and Mia?' he asks them.

Before Scorpius has the time to blink, James Potter has grabbed him and pushed him against the wall. 'Who the fuck told you?'

'What?'

'Tell me who told you, Malfoy!'

'Calm down, I have no idea what you're talking about!'

'James, put him down', Rose Weasley says after a short silence. Her voice is strained.

Potter lets Scorpius go, but glares at him. 'Why did you ask about that? Thought it was funny? Now you had your fun, go away before I hex you!'

Scorpius leans against the wall behind him and tries to not look too relieved. 'I saw your sister a few times when I was out after curfew. She would tell me secrets about her friends called Ana and Mia, but it made no sense. I just want to know what she was telling me.'

For a moment the two Potter's and Weasley don't move, don't breath, and then Scorpius is back against the wall. 'Tell me what she said!' James Potter's voice is filled with pain.

'James, let him down', Albus Potter tells his older brother and he actually pulls him back. 'Please, Malfoy, tell us.'

Scorpius takes in their distress, their raw pain and tiny bit of hope. He tells them exactly what she told him, still not knowing what the words mean. When he's done, James Potter punches the wall, Albus Potter stares at him in horror and Rose Weasley is crying.

'Who are Ana and Mia?' Scorpius asks again.

'Ana stands for anorexia and mia stands for bulimia', Rose Weasley finally gives him his answer.

'W-what? She s-starved herself to-?'

'Yes', James Potter says bitterly, who's still watching the wall he just punched. 'My little sister starved herself death and when we finally caught up, it was already too late.'

It was then and there that Scorpius realized that she was wrong all along. Secrets were never meant to stay hidden, secrets are meant to be told. Secrets are little pieces of the truth that make people more real and that's why people love secrets.


End file.
